The Ministry of Health has ordered the immediate implementation of standard operating procedures in public places and border communities as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) battles an Ebola outbreak.
Speaking at a meeting in Mpondwe, Kasese District, Permanent Secretary Dr Diana Atwine criticised immigration officers at the Mpondwe-Lhubiriha border, accusing some of allowing Congolese nationals into Uganda without adequate checks.
She warned that officials found facilitating unauthorised crossings risk arrest and dismissal.
Atwine urged the public, particularly people living in border communities, to remain vigilant. She expressed concern that although Uganda has no confirmed Ebola cases, patients in Kenya and Nigeria had travelled through the country.
She said Uganda remained at risk because of its proximity to the outbreak in the DRC and the movement of people across the border.
Dr Rude Bwambale, chairperson of Parliament’s Health Committee, commended the Ministry’s response and called for heightened vigilance.
He said the government was considering how to support communities dependent on cross-border trade while limiting the risk of Ebola transmission.
Bwambale also said Uganda had established a centre on the DRC side of the border, where Ugandan doctors provide medical assistance to Congolese nationals seeking care.
Kasese LC V Chairperson Eliphazi Bukombi Muhindi expressed confidence in Uganda’s preparedness, citing the country’s experience with the 2007 Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak and the COVID-19 pandemic.
He called for severe penalties for immigration officials who knowingly facilitate unsafe border crossings.
The Ministry convened officials from 11 districts bordering the DRC at a one-stop centre in Mpondwe on Thursday.
The meeting also included a delegation from the DRC. The developments come as Kenya and Nigeria report Ebola patients who travelled through Uganda.
On Thursday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said both patients had passed through Entebbe International Airport on October 3.
Dr Wessam Mankoula, the agency’s head of emergency preparedness and response, said investigators were examining whether the patients could have been exposed to the virus through shared equipment or other contact. He emphasised that no link had been confirmed-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
